Table of Contents
TITLES BY J. D. ROBB
Naked in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death
Conspiracy in Death
Loyalty in Death
Witness in Death
Judgment in Death
Betrayal in Death
Seduction in Death
Reunion in Death
Purity in Death
Portrait in Death
Imitation in Death
Divided in Death
Visions in Death
Survivor in Death
Origin in Death
Memory in Death
Born in Death
Innocent in Death
Creation in Death
Strangers in Death
Salvation in Death
Promises in Death
Kindred in Death
Which would you rather be
A conqueror in the Olympic games,
Or the crier who proclaims who are conquerors?
PLUTARCH
True, I talk of dreams,
Which are the children of an idle brain,
Begot of nothing but vain fantasy.
WILLlAM SHAKESPEARE
WHILE SWORDS OF LIGHTNING SLASHED AND stabbed murderously across the scarred shield of sky, Bart Minnock whistled his way home for the last time. Despite the battering rain, Barts mood bounced along with his cheerful tune as he shot his doorman a snappy salute.
Howzit going, Mr. Minnock?
Its going up, Jackie. Going way uptown.
This rain could do the same, if you ask me.
What rain? With a laugh, Bart sloshed his way in soaked skids to the elevator.
Thunder exploded across the island of Manhattan, midday commuters sulked under overpriced umbrellas bought from enterprising sidewalk hawkers and maxibuses spewed up walls of wet. But in Barts world the sun beamed in golden rays.
He had a hot date with the sexy CeeCee, which in itself was nothing to sneeze at for a self-proclaimed nerd whod been a virgin until the somewhat embarrassing age of twenty-four.
Five years later, and largely because of the success of U-Play, he could have his pick from a bevy of eager womeneven if the eager was mostly due to the money and media his company generated.
He didnt mind.
He knew he wasnt especially good-looking and accepted his own awkwardness in romantic situations. (Except for sexy CeeCee.) He didnt know art or literature, didnt know a good vintage from a bottle of home brew. What he knew were computers and games and the seduction of technology.
Still, CeeCee was different, he thought as he turned off the locks and security on his trilevel apartment with its four-star view of downtown. She liked gaming, and didnt care about vintage wine or art galleries.
But even the evening with the sweet and sexy CeeCee wasnt the reason for the whistling or the big, bright grin on his face as he reset the door locks.
He had the latest version of Fantastical in his briefcase, and until he tested it, played it, approved it, it was all his.
His in-house intercom greeted him with a cheery Welcome home, Bart, and his server droidcustom-made to replicate Princess Leia, classic Star Wars, slave-girl mode (he was a nerd, but he was still a guy)strolled out to offer him his favorite orange fizzy with crushed ice.
Youre home early today.
Ive got some work to do in the holo-room.
Dont work too hard. You need to leave in two hours and twelve minutes to arrive at CeeCees apartment on time. Youre scheduled to pick up flowers on the way. Will you be staying the night?
Thats the plan.
Enjoy. Your shoes are very wet. Would you like me to get you a fresh pair?
No, thats okay. Ill grab some on the way up.
Dont forget, she said with the quick Leia smirk that always tickled him. Should I give you a reminder about your date closer to departure time?
He set his briefcase aside, shook back the light brown hair that forever fell into his eyes. Thats okay. Ill set up a buzz in holo. You can just shut down for the night.
All right. Im here if you need me.
Normally, hed have used his personal Leia for some conversational practice, might have had her keep him company while he unwound from the day and talked about current projects. There was nothing like a droid as far as Bart was concerned. They never judged, unless you programmed them to.
But Fantastical called him. He opened his briefcase, took out the disc, gave it a friendly kiss as he started up the stairs.
Hed decorated his spaces to his own whim and taste, so toys abounded. Props, weapons, costumes, and art from vids and games served as decor and amusement with every room on every level outfitted with various game systems, vid systems, screens, and comps.
It was, for Bart, a dream realized. He lived, as he worked, in a big e-playroom.
His second-floor office was a to-scale reproduction of the bridge of the galactic warship The Valiant,from the vid of the same name. His work on the gaming discs for the vid had given his fledgling U-Play its true start.
He forgot about changing his shoes, or changing his wet shirt, and went straight to the third floor.
Security on the holo-room required his thumbprint, voiceprint, and a retinal scan. Overkill, he knew, but it was more fun that way, and fun was always the name of the game. He might have opened up the space regularly for friends and guests, but he liked having the superspy aspects in place.
He reactivated them on entering, then shut down all outside coms. For the hourokay maybe ninety minuteshe intended to play, he wanted no interruptions.
The whole point of gaming, to Barts mind, was the immersion of self in the fantasy, or the competition, or just the fun. And Fantastical would take that immersion of self several steps beyond what was on the market in mid-2060.
If the latest adjustments and enhancements worked, the businessman inside the gamer reminded him.
Theyll work. Itll be mag to the nth, he muttered as he inserted the disc and ran through the startup. Once again he used his voiceprint, then his password. The new version was totally top secret. He and his partners hadnt built U-Play on geek alone. He understood, very well, the cutthroat business in the gaming field, and actually found the corporate espionage kind of a rush.
He was a player, he thought. Not just in games but in the business of games. U-Plays success provided everything he and his friends, his partner, had talked about, dreamed about, worked for.
With Fantastical, theyd be kicking it all upandfingers crossedbecome major players.
Hed already decided on the scenario, a favorite, and the level. Hed practiced, studied, refined, and reworked this fantasy, the elements of it countless times during development, and now set for the game he code-named K2BK. Hed take the role of the battered and cynical hero, battling the evil forces of the beleaguered kingdom of Juno on the endangered planet of Gort.
The mirrored walls of the holo-room reflected him as the light began to swirl and dim, as his damp and wrinkled khakis and Captain Zees T-shirt, his wet skids transformed into the scarred battle gear and boots of the warrior king.
